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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · craft · hand · clip · rash · safe · field · plane

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hand — in cards
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. rash — a series
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. hand — help
  20. stock — goods
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — farmland
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com